Twitter Gems, part 19

It looks like in Malaysia, the Prime Minister can really declare a public holiday on a whim and fancy.

Azmin Ali's supposed "promise" to Sarawak

The Malay's may be forgetful, but this Sarawakian knows when history repeats itself.

Please excuse me while I pick myself up from the floor.

Summer Reading

Checked out some books from the library. The books by Barry Wain and Chris Lydgate are a good read.

Quote of the day

This is a gem:

In my days, we had Justin Timberlake. These days, we have Justin Beiber.

My, how times have changed.

Japanese Magazine Censorship

Source.

I'm amazed that it got through to begin with. Wait till they see Yuirppe's dakimakura.

Nanoha Curry

Source.

There is just so much win in this. Its almost as good as watching Paul Ducklin's (of Sophos) 90 Second (security) News.

Fun with Channel News Asia

Source.

On 15 Nov 2010, Danny Choo (and ors) appeared on Channel News Asia's Prime Time Morning breakfast TV show. Now whatever one may think about CNA and/or their editorial policy, I still think they are still better than the waste of tax payers money that is Bernama TV. (Or what ever it is called these days)

Someone called "YuKi-To" at Dannychoo.com's post on the event kindly posted a link to the video on CNA's online video website. While handy, made for difficult watching when CNA's video server isn't the fastest around, and streaming the video of the interview was, well, stuttery at best.

So, how do you download a video that is encapsulated in its own .swf player? Answer: a whole afternoon.

First the link:

http://video2.channelnewsasia.com/cnavideos/multiplevideos_no_watermark.asp?skin=player1.swf&bgskin=playerbackground.swf&filename=101115_ptm_anime.flv&adfilebefore=cna%20video2.flv&adfileafter=&playmode=S

As one can see, its a GET, which passes a few parameters into a ASP file. Crucially, it also includes a file name, "101115_ptm_anime.flv".

So, putting

http://video2.channelnewsasia.com/cnavideos/101115_ptm_anime.flv

into your browser should work right?

Er, no.



Viewing the source wasn't much more inspiring. I could see it was a Javascript (ugh) function that checked the Adobe Flash version, passed it into a hasRightVersion() function, and used document.write(oeTags); to embed the flash video.

Running it through an online Javascript interpreter wasn't much help either.



It gave me what I expected, but still based on the GET passed into player1.swf. However, there were more clues. In particular, the folderName parameter. So I tired:

http://video2.channelnewsasia.com/cnavideos/videos/101115_ptm_anime.flv

Still no go.

Frustrated, I fired up Wireshark, hoping to at least capture the stream to extract it. However, it didn't resolve the slow download speed from CNA's video server. Bored, I started to look through the Wireshark captures.



The video stream was being piped through port 1935 of video2.channelnewsasia.com. And with the elusive video folder. Surely, I had finally found it? Typing

http://video2.channelnewsasia.com:1935/videos/101115_ptm_anime.flv

into my browser, I got this:



Success was mine, I thought. However, it was short lived, when I saw this:



Despite the server returning that the file was there, not a single byte was coming down. Looking closer at the Wireshark dump, it seemed like when a GET request for the resource was sent to the server, it responded with FIN's. Clearly it wasn't as simple as hitting save.

I played around with browser headers, refers, to no avail. The file was there on the server, yet I couldn't get it. It was very annoying and painful at the same time.

Then it struck me: what protocol does flash video use? From the deep recesses of my mind I remembered it wasn't your bog standard HTTP. Then I saw it:



Surely, it couldn't be as simple as changing the protocol name?



Figured as much. So, how do you access a resource behind the RTMP protocol?

Solution: a command line application called rtmpdump. (Thanks Andrej Stepanchuk and Howard Chu for making it and releasing a Windows binary!)



There you have it. The elusive 101115_ptm_anime.flv. rtmpdump gave more information on the file, namely it came from a mpeg (CNA is still broadcast in PAL 576i after all), done not much longer after the broadcast was done.



I must say for a 8 minute and 44 second length video, it is terribly big, with the file size clocking at just under 30MB. And not that it's high quality either:



Encoded with the (ugh) VP6 codec, at 352 x 288, its just around half the standard PAL 576i resolution. I feel much of the filesize bulk is due to the audio.

I'm no media expert, so I will demure on the performance of everyone in the video. However, I do have to echo the words of iron2000: "The presenters of Primetime Morning, Suzanne Jung Ki Eng and Steven Chia, really don't seem to know any anime stuff". And that's fine really. Breakfast TV shows are always with the weird and unusual.

If nothing else, Danny Choo can add CNA to his list which includes CNN, the BBC and NHK.



So there you have it. How to extract flash video files. And there goes my life. ^_^''

Edit: a copy of the file is here: http://www.mediafire.com/?tuv79jdxb4bqyvz.

There's no way my Manaka can be so cute!

Source.

For those who don't get the reference, Takane Manaka from Love Plus is voiced by the same seiyuu that does Aragaki Ayase in OreImo.

Hence, this image.

Of floating point representations and a RM 806 trillion bill

Remember the RM 806 trillion bill?



Came across a write up by Gilbert Healton who noted that the .01 at the end of the full amount (RM 806,400,000,000,000.01) looked like a rounding error in floating point numbers. There is a very interesting replication of the error in the C programming language at his page.

A good read up on avoiding the more interesting bugs, and a good reason why try() {} catch() {} functions are the best thing since sliced bread. Generally.

"Your imouto is in your bed. What do you do?"

Seanver's been running a poll over at his site:


As at 12 Nov 2010, 0221 UTC.

Kyosuke's choice was probably more realistic than most people give credit for.

It's not just Amazon.com......

Chikorita157 received a big box in the mail:

Seriously Amazon, do we need such a big box to ship a keyboard protector for the Macbook Pro? I thought you are about saving the environment? With a box that big, i’m expecting a dakimakura or something.

Its not just Amazon.com. Hobby Search is equally guilty of putting small goods into impossibly big boxes. I've seen the packaging weigh more than the item itself. Through it has to be said that Amazon packages tend to fit into mailboxes too well at times.

Ostensibly its to protect the goods in transit, but no amount of padding can save any purchase from the horrors of the Malaysian postal system. And I'm not talking about Pos Malaysia either.

CLANNAD Clocks

Aka "What I found on Youtube this week"

There's actually an alarm clock that features the seiyuu of Nagisa (Nakahara Mai), Kyou (Hirohashi Ryou) and Tomoyo (Kuwashima Houko):


Nagisa.


Kyou.


Tomoyo.

Maybe if it had Kotomi (Noto Mamiko) I might consider waking up, but I'm a man of simple needs. I'll settle for Kuwashima Houko to wake me up.

Twitter Gems, part 18

Sometimes, it feels like Hobby Search, AmiAmi et al are the biggest sources of foreign investment into Japan.

Bandila

One interesting thing about living in a multi-cultural society like Australia is having a "multicultural" television station like SBS. And having SBS broadcast news bulletins from other countries.

While I don't understand most of them (save for the ones from CCTV Beijing and TVRI Jakarta), it is always fascinating to see how different cultures present their news.

The opening sequence of Bandila from ABS-CBN Manila has to take the cake through:



And its not like Bandila is some crummy commercial tabloid news program either. It seems it is actually a rather respectable news program, where one of its journalist has actually experienced the perils of being a journo in the Philippines: being kidnapped.

You got to admit through, their presentation is amazing. When I first saw this I didn't believe I was watching a news program.

I can't stop laughing at this piece of news

The Borneo Post, 7 November 2010

Hang on: A (Malaysian) solider robbing tourists?!

KLIA's (Permanent) LCCT

The Star, 14 March 2009

11 March 2009: With some issues on the table, it is questionable whether the new LCCT can be built by 2011.

13 March 2009: [Managing director of Malaysia Airports Berhad Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad] said in a media briefing today that the target completion date for the new LCCT, estimated to cost RM2 billion, is some time in the third quarter of 2011.

3 May 2010: The PLCCT is expected to be completed between September 2011 and March 2012. It will have a capacity of 30 million passengers or double the capacity of the present LCCT.

30 August 2010: The targeted completion date for the new LCCT, estimated to cost RM2 billion, is April 2012 based on a 20-month construction period.

Mark your diaries people. Let's just hope it doesn't get pushed any further back.

Twitter Gems, part 17

Did no one think to check on them?

Disable reverse DNS lookup for SSH login

One annoying thing I've always had to deal with with SSH was the slight delay between entering the username and password. The real annoying part was knowing the problem, but unable to think of a solution.

As it turns out, the solution to stop SSHd from doing reverse DNS lookups is amazingly simple. Just add:

UseDNS no

to /etc/ssh/sshd_config (for Debian based distributions).

Credit and source here.

News Caption Speaker Identity Fail

ABC News 24, 5pm AEST (+0800), 1 November 2010

Somehow, I just can't quite see Federal Member for Cook having a press conference at Wisma Putra.

KCH-ICN on a 738

Oooh!

The Star, 28 October 2010:

The direct flight would see Malaysia Airlines using its new 737-800 aircraft which can accommodate up to 160 passengers, a press statement issued by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) said yesterday. (my emphasis)

MH has finally got their 738's! I wonder which routes are they put on?

I'm still waiting for something to replace their A330's through. Or a serious refurbishment of the ones in their existing fleet.

Twitter gems, part 16

Twitter gems, part 15

It bloody sounds like Korean to me.

Shakugan no Shana Frontier

Gosh, the Japanese media scene is in bigger trouble than I thought.

Spin City: The Australian vs the NBN

The Australian's hissy fit, 22 October 2010

22 September 2010: "I have to say something about News Ltd's reporting [..] taking pot shots [..] is really low"

Is The Australian's continuous anti-NBN campaign simply keeping Labor in check? Or is it a case of conflict of interest? (They do own 25% of Foxtel, which would be one of the first to be affected with a shift to a unified entertainment distribution platform)

After SAL9000, we have....

Czero90 to represent Malaysia!





Source. Question: why is it on a piece of paper with the Johor coat of arms and the logo of the Johor state Islamic department?

Rough translation:

It is decreed that Ahmad Mustaqim Kodomo of 17 years of age, holding the national Identity card registration number of 900601-88-8887 as a Malaysian citizen, residing at 111 Jalan Limau Purut Taman Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, has been lawfully wedded according to custom and (Syariah) law to Siti Nene binti Abdullah, of 18 years of age, holding the national Identity card registration number of 890401-88-8888 as a Japanese citizen, on this 21st day of Rejab 1428 being 15 August 2007 (in the Gregorian calendar), a Saturday, at 11.30am at the location of [..].

Maybe I need not worry about the case of Shinn87 v Czero90 after all.

Movie weekend

Battle Royale get's a 3D remake for its 10th anniversary. Meanwhile, Michael J. Fox reprises his role as Marty McFly for a 25 year (gosh, as it been that long?!) reunion for Back to The Future.





Its still one of the best things after all these years.

Fund-Raising Carnival's = 学院祭?

Joaanne @ xAoiSora @ j0annelee @ x3Cissnei records her experiences at the Kuen Cheng Secondary School Carnival.

Sounds normal. There's food. Coupon's (one aspect of Malaysian life which I've never quite reconciled with myself). Game stalls. Stalls selling small little trinkets. Cupcakes. Comic club cosplay. Manicures for the other side.

Wait, what?




Am I still in Malaysia? Since when did festivals in Chinese vernacular schools become so, er, different?

Certainly not in my Malaysia!

The fallacy of "Malaysian" as a culture

The Chinese-educated Right and the Far Right spar over education. Nothing short of having a mini-China in Malaysia will satisfy them. As much as it pains me to say this, Malaysia can never have a single education system.

No one will ever concede any ground, and in the eyes of the Far Right, such as people like anonymous blogger Shuzheng, everyone is a racist except those who advocate a Mandarin-language based education system.

It is very hard for me to "associate with my individual culture" (read: the ethnic Chinese) when those who supposedly champion their values do not accept me as I am.

And people wonder why elements of the political establishment call for them immigrants to go back to where they came from. Integration is a 2-way street. It is very hard to have understanding when language and culture throws up barriers between different groups.

Even if the different groups are ethnically the same.

A voice of reason: Shabery Cheek

12 Oct 2010: Bernama runs a report titled "CWG: Don't Create Issues Out Of Athletes' Attire - Shabery". Quote:

Ahmad Shabery said the latest criticism was the attire worn by weightlifter Aricco Jumitih when competing and winning the gold medal in the 62kg category, since the Sabah athlete was wearing the Sabah state attire which did not reflect the country’s image at an international event.

He said such criticism was negative and athletes should not be blamed or crucified based on their attire. (my emphasis)

“I was made to understand that weightlifting is a very sensitive sport which involves various sensitive elements like food, attire and environment. Sometimes if an athlete is not comfortable with another attire, he may not be able to perform well.

“Maybe what he was wearing was the most comfortable attire for Arrico during the competition and he proved it right by winning the gold medal. What is the point of wearing the ‘right’ attire and losing compared with winning with an alternative attire,” he told reporters here today.

He's clearly a pragmatist. He's see's things as what they are, not what the style is. He's one of the few rare Malaysian's in a corridors of power who can actually see substance over style.

Between Zainuddin Maidin and Rais Yatim, he was the better Information Minister. It was he who put into motion the modernization of RTM. If he was just given more time he might have brought the national broadcaster into the 21st century instead of being out of touch with contemporary Malaysia. [1] RTM would be dragged kicking and screaming, certainly, but at least dragged forward instead of being frozen in time.

[1] I find it very disturbing that RTM is so out of touch and so frozen in time. The strings attached to it notwithstanding, any national broadcaster needs to be reflect the contemporary nature of the society they have a mandate to cover. And that includes things the private networks will never cover.

For a Australian perspective, see David Salter in Adrift in a neo-con fantasy land.

moe.imouto -> oreno.imouto

I had to smile at this:


moe.imouto.org now redirects to oreno.imouto.org.



And it seems like the front page has been updated accordingly.

Twitter Gems, part 14

SNSD's attempt into the Japanese market

To be honest, I must be the last person to know of the existence of So Nyeo Shi Dae, better known as SNSD, in the English speaking world (read: Malaysia) within my peers. This is not to say I was completely unaware; I just never put any thought into their existence.

Now and then some of my acquaintances would talk about a Korean girl band, but for the most part they never actually registered in my consciousness, as I have virtually no interest in Korean pop culture.

Their existence only came to light when 少女時代 （しょうじょ　じだい）, as they are known in Japan, debuted in Japan with their dual-lingual song "Genie" both in the Korean and Japanese languages. Me being me (read: a passive outsider into the Japanese entertainment industry), their appearance in the Japanese entertainment rags made me do some research. And I was amazed.

They're apparently quite big in East Asia, with record deals in Taiwan and fanclubs in Hong Kong. Entire web portals are dedicated to them in China, and even in Malaysia anecdotally they command quite a following. As I put forward their existence to real-life acquaintances, virtually all of them had heard their songs or are actively following the activities of 9 Korean girls (according to Wikipedia).

(It was also at this time I met Mr. "SNSD is a evil conspiracy by the Korean national broadcaster to "steal the hearts of young boys" and stupefy them into dreaming and fantasizing regarding one particular member". I have no idea who he was referring to. They all look the same to me)

I'm not entirely sure what the attraction of them is, other than dancing in a way that makes me conclude that they are the Asian female version of Michael Jackson, if there was ever one.

As I dug deeper, I was met with incredulous looks by parties who were apparently mystified at my total ignorance and lack on knowledge at what was billed as the next big thing in the so-called Korean wave after Bae Yong-Joon. (Even I know Yon-sama's effect of Japanese housewives and female members of my extended family. If you think Konami is a tourism genius, the Korean drama Winter Sonata has practically created the Korean tourism market in Malaysia) If they were that big, how is it that I only heard of them after SNSD's attempt into the Japanese market?

With regards to their dual-lingual song "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", I found it fascinating studying it from a multilingual perspective. While I know virtually no Korean, and my grasp of the Japanese language is minimal at best, the little I heard made me conclude that the Japanese version sounded awkward, and personally the Korean only sounded better because I know nothing about the said language.

It was also a real study reading the Mandarin translations of the Korean and Japanese versions of the song. I didn't expect them to be similar,. but I was quite surprised at the variations done to fit the melody (is there even one?) of the song. In reality the meanings of the 2 versions are actually quite different.

On 4 Oct 2010, 少女時代 released their Japanese version of "Gee", which has been described as the song that propelled them to success in Korea and East Asia when released in 2009. Having heard the original Korean version prior, my impression of the Japanese adaptation was that it sounded the bloody same. I actually had to strain and concentrate to pick up the Japanese. And even then it sounded awkward.

Looking at the lyrics, there are way too many Korean sounds. (Seriously, "チンチャチンチャ"?!) Half the song sounded more Korean than anything else. And I'm now convinced that "Gee Gee Gee Gee Baby Baby Baby" is actually Korean. (Maybe there might be something in the conspiracy after all...)

I've come to the opinion that cross cultural entertainment attempts never work. Has everyone forgotten "The jungle of hope" in Form 4 English literature?

OreImo and Index appear on Nihon Keizai Shimbun

Image from Windmoe.

The 26 Sept 2010 edition of the Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun run a full page (!) ad with two of the (northern) winter's most anticipated characters: Kousaka Kirino from OreImo, and Index from To aru Majutsu no Index 2.

Steve from the Emory University anime club has kindly translated the (supposedly) inspiring text extolling the working masses to keep their spirits up. To be fair, things have not been looking good for the Japanese economy. No thanks to a maritime dispute which has escalated to a de facto embargo on the export of rare earths metals.

Still, could be worst. Like cross-players on the front page.

Twitter Gems, part 13

Of all the Visualarts/Key anime adaptations, I've cried the most in CLANNAD. The R1 DVD's should come with a rating of "T": Tissues needed.

Angel Beats - ep 08

Oh Yurippe, if only programming was so simple. And if only people could be manipulated so easily. Point and Click.


My mind says that Evil Tenshi is wrong, but why does it feel so right?

The BGM this episode was top notch. The fighting scenes have their mood set by Track 11 of the Angel Beats! Original SoundTrack if anyone is asking.


Yandere Yurippe is also fine too.


This is probably the first time I've seen sliding down a rough slope and using gravity (with nothing else but standard school shoes) actually work as a means of movement down a crater.

The number of low angle shots in this ep provided plenty of opportunities to savor Yuri's Zettai Ryouiki. That said, overall it was a confusing ep (with rather dark humor) and hard to come to any meaningful discussion and analysis.

Nanoha cookies

Oh, do tell!

RM27 for 8 cookies is not that all unusual when you start talking on a per unit basis. The silence in between partaking and munching of the cookies on the other hand is priceless. :D

Spin City, part 2

The Australian, 22 September 2010

Of all the stories to run on the front page. The WCC also made it to The Australian's Australian IT supplement on Tuesdays. While I am not a journalist, I have to say something about News Ltd's reporting.

Some of the criticisms in the said article are warranted, such as low attendance. The reality is that WCC is rather dry compared to the "[more] fashionable social media events" which are more spontaneous. Its really men in suits here and academics talking about their research and can be very academic.

However, to take pot shots at the (Labor) Queensland government by means of its ICT minister is really low. The reality is that most of the presentations are usually thinly participated. Even big names like Richard Stallman and Graeme Wood (To be fair, the Brisbane Times also pounced on the speech) had more empty seats than people.

That said, I have seen e-government presentations in WCC where the crowd spills out of the room. But that wouldn't make for good stories to pander to the Right's prejudices would it?

To put all this into context, see this: Unfair and unbalanced: how News failed to fell government.